♪ kingmaker kingmaker i want everything that makes me feel all right that feels alive don't ask me why i want ♪ ♪ everything right before my eyes ni can't deny i want to be the king it makes me feel alive i want everything it ♪ ♪ makes me feel all right i want everything the things i can't deny i want everything ♪ i want to be the king [ applause ]

♪ do it if you dare leaping from the sky hurling through the air exhilarating high see the earth below soon ♪ ♪ to make a crater blue sky black death i'm off to meet my maker energy of the gods adrenalin surge won't stop til ♪ ♪ i hit the ground i'm

on my way for sure up here in the air this will never hurt tonight, on the hunt for a great deal? buyers be ware. with $600 billion up for grabs your favorite retailers are watching you closely on a mission for your money. tonight we reveal the tricks of the trade they aren't telling you about. for most, climbing mount everest is the idea and hopefully reaching the top. not for these guys. they're beginning the ultimate decent and it's hard to believe how they're getting down. and luggage looters. undercover video of airport thieves at work after you checked your luggage. we'll show you why you should

keep your valuables close. >> keep it here,

>> good evening and thanks for joining us. when you go to las vegas, every detail in the casino from the temperature, the layout, the drinks to even the oxygen has been set up to encourage you to spend and lose money. did you know some of the same types of strategies are employed by your favorite retailers and with this final week upon us they are trying everything they can to get you to buy more. here is abc contributor becky wolf. >> they can play you christmas carols, pile on the tinsel and cart out the mall santas but make no mistake, the holiday shopping season is a war. and in the battle for the $600 billion you will spend this

year, stores will pull out all the stops to get you to open your wallet. but there are ways to fight back. we'll show you how to get inside their heads before they can get inside yours. it's the shoppers versus the retailers. the deal hunters versus the profit takers. if you want to win, you need to peek into their play book so you can beat them at their own game. first retail secret. stores may be watching how you shop to get you to buy more. from big chains to small boutiques like this one, heat mapping technology analyzes what products grab shopper's attention using an overlay on surveillance video it can show where we linger, touch, our grab products. the red marks show really popular items like this. once the hottest items are identified, a manager can use them to draw you in. >> so to beat this you have to

go old school. >> i'm looking for a scarf. >> stay focused on what you really want to buy by asking a sales clerk. it's not just what you touch. they are even watching where you walk. once they know where customers are most likely to walk, they might drop a display in the middle of a popular path to get you to make an impulse buy. that's something consumer psychology understands well. >> it gets you to slow down. it gets you to focus and suddenly you're at the mercy of the stimuli that they're presenting to you. >> put the blinders on, stick to the list, get in and get out. >> the longer people are in a store, the more money that they're spend. >> next retail secret? a price tag strategy called the group of three with an anchor. you have got three coats priced left to right, $100, $200 and $600. the retailer doesn't expect to

sell many of the most expensive item items. they're there to make the middle item look like a bargain. but where should you really be looking? to the left. yeah, look left. usually the item to the left is cheaper and not that different from the other two. when it comes to electronics, resisted a-ones. >> you get a big ticket purchase and you buy accessories. you think this only applies to fashion? try electronics. big screen tvs? you have got to get cables. >> electronics are taking a play from the fashion industry. you go in to buy a tablet or smart phone. and look what's next to the displays. accessories. and how helpful the sales clerk tells me i need a cable, a screen protector, a charging case. you're tempted to buy. but hold on, now's when you need

to pull out your smart phone. check prices. they are at rock bottom prices. order them on the phone or show it to the sales clerk and see if they will match the price. another secret? cranking up the tunes. it's not just you. they play it louder during the holidays and add that in with the crowds, the bells, the traffic, and you get overstimulated. music circumvents the rational parts of the brains and makes it feel a certain way. and a lot of times makes us feel like celebrating and spending money. >> play it smart by bringing your own ear buds. >> i'm going with the charlie brown christmas album. very calming. creating an atmosphere is retail 101. i'm walking when -- when you go

into a kitchen and home store, you might be enticed by the smell of cinnamon. is that apple cider? the smell seems like it has a direct path way to nostalgia. or to some sort of memory evoking sense? >> yes. and there's tons of research on smells. the sorts of smells that are related to spending that make people spend more money. casinos have done a lot of research on this. >> apple cider makes me nostalgic. a homey snowy christmas smell and it is especially powerful around the holidays. we get a great feeling from that smell and we want to take that emotion home with us. >> they transport us to another place in time. evoke a mood that makes you feel like you want to participate. >> and that leads to

overspending and more impulse purchases. you have a list of presents you need to buy. did you know the order matters? studies show we spend a lot more time hunting for a deal on the first item of the list. i'm tired, i'm overwhelmed and just want to go home. check off the most expensive items first. and lastly, be ware of the e-mail game of chicken. if you made a purchase online, they probably have your e-mail and boy are they using and abusing it right now. last day for savings. >> retailers understand that we have come to love a bargain and it ends up being the greatest problem for shoppers. thinking something's a deal and not thinking to themselves is it really worth this to me? >> toys, accessories and

electronics get cheaper. and afterwards, let the sales really begin. when it comes to winning the battle of deals, what you don't know could cost you. keep informed, keep calm and keep your holiday budget tight. >> some smart advice. thanks. next we're going on the ultimate mount everest adventure. not up but getting all the way down like never before. >> abc news night line brought to you by infinity.

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>> for many, climbing the earth's highest mountain is the ultimate physical achievement but for the two adventurers you're about to meet, getting to the top was just the beginning -- the easy part. here is the spectacular story of how they came down. >> that is the roof of the world. the holy summit of mount everest. many have climbed it. very few have flown off and no one has attempted this. from 29 thousand feet to zero in just one trip. the ultimate summit to sea decent. tackling some of the most dangerous terrain in the world. >> my goal is all the way to the ocean, which is my dream. >> a dream to fly from the top of mount everest and then kayak to the indian ocean. sound insane?

the everest flight alone has top athlete head's spinning. >> i wouldn't dare go up everest and then try to fly it. it seems like there is is a one in a thousand chance to pull it off successfully. >> this is one of his few early believers. >> he said okay, we're going everest. we leave in one month. we have no help, we have no sponsors and no equipment but we're going. >> i wanted to do something. adventure together. >> his first challenge, climb mount everest without permits, money, or high altitude climbing experience. >> if you put me in jail, i'm happy to go to jail. >> it's a lot of money. >> he has no such money but the

perfect accomplice. a veteran mountaineer who wants in. >> he would take baboo to everest and babo would take him to the ocean. they were able to kind of go in and utilize the camps. >> bumming food, supplies and cramped shelter off of other high priced expeck additions. he begins to size himself up against earth's highest peak. with paltry support, they begin a push into the death zone, above 26 thousand feet. >> sunlight coming. >> but the sunrise bounce along with the oxygen is now running dangerously low. >> i need to fly now.

i cannot do anything if i cannot breathe. i said give me two breaths. >> with a blast of their last oxygen, he takes their lives into his hands. >> we're up! >> half way around the world, kimberly is singing, too. >> it was just this straight line going off the mountain and you're like that's it. they're in the air. opened it up and gave them the perfect conditions. >> in just 42 minutes, all the

turmoil faded away. they climbed 15 miles to an airstrip in napal but their celebrations are brief. >> they weren't done with their expedition. >> still ahead, 500 miles of hiking and kayaking, a full month's trek, starting with some of the most powerful rivers in the world. jaws, anxiety and the meat grinder are some of the aptly named rapids along the river. >> he did tell me that his partner can't swim. >> they lost paddles, babo got stuck and thought he was going to die. >> and the trials continue even when they reach the slow smooth majesty. >> very difficult to see. >> from then on, the two hide in the reeds at night. >> they were just surviving off

of the fruit from the trees. >> mango, mango. >> he can be up at 8,000 meters smoking cigarettes and be fine and he was having a challenging time breathing. >> but two months after sailing and 29,000 feet lower, the two finally run out of lands to explo explore. wading in, their goal achieved. >> the minute, it was different. >> all over the world, national geographic readers agree with overwhelming majority they are the 2012 adventurers of the year. >> to find out more about their amazing journey, visit abc

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>> you know, some people tell me i'm just too good for morning tv.

>> it's every traveler's nightmare. you check your bags on one end but when you retrieve the items, you find precious items missing. the handy work of shady handlers or opportunistic thieves. we obtained undercover footage that will likely make any traveler cringe. >> you know that wave of relief you feel when you finally see your bag on the carousel? not so fast. just because your bag arrived doesn't mean your stuff did, too. you're looking at handlers stealing, caught on secret cameras hidden in the belly of the plane at one of the busiest airports in the united states.

watch as this handler finds a wallet. he's quite methodical in his search. jackpot. cash. he takes the time to count it. he checks for more. how about credit cards? he stuffs his pockets, picking the wallet clean. the video was obtained exclusively by abc news. they had a warning about some airport employees. >> they are hard working honest people by and large but there are people who are tempts and will conduct some criminal activity. when they do we work to find out who they are and arrest them. >> the three new york area airports there were nearly 600 reports of luggage theft in the last two years. air passengers everywhere face the unseen danger of airport grinchs snatches their holiday joy. the sting you saw was set up

this summer after there were complaints from passengers about items missing from their baggage. jewelry, cash, watches, ipads and iphones. seven workers charged with stealing thousands in valuables. it's not just new york. this handler is caught on tape searching suitcases, packing valuables in his back back. they discovered 700 items valued at $84,000. it is not just baggage handlers stealing. in phoenix, this man and his wife were convicted of driving to airports and plucking other people's luggage right off of the carousel. look at this stash. hundreds. since 2003, almost 400 tsa personnel have been fired for theft, including this one exposed last year by my colleague for stealing an ipad. >> this is an ipad? >> yeah.

>> when tsa is screening all of this luggage they can literally look inside and see if anything is there. it's not a hit and miss. they know where to look. >> what can you do to protect yourself? for one, never pack valuables in your checked luggage. >> cash, jewelry, electronics. even if it's an expensive bottle of perfume. >> use well worn luggage that won't be a beacon for thieves. if your carry on is going to be checked at the last minute, take the time to open the bag and remove your valuables. >> santa is not the only one watching out for the grinchs. >> we constantly review our cctv coverage of the airport. >> do you have cameras so you can monitor the workers and make sure they're not stealing? >> we have cameras above the jetways and other cameras that are throughout the